Linux / Unix

The SteamOS 3.6.19 release adds more functionality to the Asus ROG Ally and moves the gyro controller driver into the kernel, outside of Steam's proprietary driver stack, suggesting that support for third-party gaming handhelds is inching closer to reality. At the same time, the Steam Deck OLED becomes more Windows-friendly.

Parrot OS is back with multiple improvements and updates, as well as a new launcher. Unleashed yesterday, version 6.2 of this Debian-based distro that targets ethical hackers brings forward Rocket, a launcher for Docker containers written entirely in Python, which uses a PyQt6 GUI and can also run on Windows and macOS machines.

A new gaming handheld sold as the RG50XX has started appearing online. Available for under $100, the device takes Anbernic's naming scheme and puts it to use with a device that rips off the Nintendo Switch Lite.

A new update to Battlefield 1 has officially removed Steam Deck compatibility from the online FPS, despite the game launching as long ago as 2016. This move comes after a similar decision was made with GTA Online last month. Unlike GTA Online, there doesn't seem to be any hope for redemption for Battlefield 1.

The Anbernic RG CubeXX has now arrived as a cheaper alternative to the existing RG Cube. Launching for almost 3x less than the RG Cube, the RG CubeXX still features a pocket-sized design and a 1:1 IPS display.

Less than two months since the release of version 1.6, PorteuX 1.7 arrives with several fixes, sub-500 MB ISOs, as well as updates to most of the seven desktop environments supported. The seven are GNOME, Cinnamon, KDE, LXDE, LXQt, MATE, and Xfce. The Linux kernel 6.11.4 is used for all these flavors.

Unity has launched the Unity 6 game development engine for Windows, Macs, and Linux computers. The new version adds a native Windows on Arm editor and app compilation, an updated Sentis AI library, and better graphics with improved performance.

Although it has been present in Firefox for ages, the "List all Tabs" button recently got a bigger icon, so it became more visible. However, Firefox 131 came with a minor change, now labeled by Mozilla as a bug, which consisted of the users' inability to remove the button. Now, that option is back.

Anbernic has now confirmed pricing and a release date to a reliable source for its next gaming handheld release. Launching in under a week, the RG CubeXX will serve as a cheaper alternative to the existing RG Cube while retaining a 1:1 aspect ratio.

Based on the barely released Ubuntu 24.10, Voyager Live 24.10 comes to add a stylish twist to the live distro paradigm by combining GNOME and Xfce while including out-of-the-box visual elements and Conky widgets. This update includes the Linux kernel version 6.11 beneath a redesigned layout designed for both PCs and tablets.

Miyoo has shown its long-awaited Anbernic RG35XX SP in a pre-release hands-on video. Not only will the Miyoo Mini Flip come pre-installed with countless ROMs, but it will also run Emulation Station out of the box.

Released yesterday, the third point update for Firefox 131 follows last week's critical security update, which addressed a critical flaw. Now, Firefox 131.0.3 comes to fix no less than five problems, including a crash that occurred when AVG and Avast Windows users visited certain websites.

Anbernic has now revealed full specifications for the RG CubeXX. Arriving only a few days after the device's official announcement, the specifications confirm that the RG CubeXX will be a less performant version of the RG Cube that should be much cheaper as a result.

Hailing from Germany and based on Arch Linux, Bluestar is a distro that comes in three editions (Desktop, Deskpro, and Developer) and has just been updated to version 6.11.3. The list of changes consists mostly of updated packages, as well as a series of tweaks and fixes.

Google is looking to offer a native Terminal app for Android, possibly with Android 16. The Terminal app will allow installation of a Linux VM with full GUI and GPU acceleration along with other sysadmin features including disk resizing, port forwarding, and partition recovery. This is an extension of Google's earlier project of allowing Chrome OS to run on Android using the Android Virtualization Framework.

The excruciatingly long road to the release of GIMP 3.0, along with its revolutionary new non-destructive editing features, is finally drawing to a close. The GIMP development team has announced that it only has eight bugs reports left to resolve before the first release candidate goes live.

Yesterday, Ubuntu 24.10 finally came out of beta. Codenamed "Oracular Oriole," it sports the latest kernel (version 6.11), expanded toolchains with versioned Rust and Java TCK, tighter security controls via improved permissions prompting, GNOME 47, support for OpenVEX and OSV vulnerability reporting, and more.

Anbernic has revealed what appears to be its retro gaming handheld release. Building on the popular RG Cube, the RG CubeXX will be joined by a set of wireless controllers that closely resemble 8BitDo's Ultimate 2C.

Released yesterday, Ubuntu Budgie 24.10 will receive nine months of support. This update focuses on refining the Budgie desktop while paving the way for Wayland. Consequently, the developers removed the X11 plank dock, defaulted the top bar to a dark theme, and added support for Apple HEIF image files.

In a recent performance review comparing Intel's Lunar Lake Core Ultra 200 series laptop processors on Linux and Windows 11, performance on Linux was consistently better across almost all benchmarks. Linux was on average 14% faster, and Blender 3D rendering and heavily multi-threaded workloads saw the biggest performance gap.

In the latest update, Plasma 6 continues to expand its hardware support to help creatives get more done. With many new features, it is shaping up to be the most powerful release yet.

Boasting AI features and a focus on privacy and security, Gnoppix comes in both a community-supported free version (Core) and a Pro flavor that includes several premium features for a moderate fee. Based on Debian and Kali Linux, Gnoppix 24.10 comes with multiple updated packages, as well as various tweaks and fixes.

It looks like the promised SteamOS ISO release is closer than we might have thought. Valve's Gamescope microcompositor recently received support for the Asus ROG Ally and Ally X displays and making them fully compatible with the SteamOS overlay and refresh rate slider.

EmuDeck may be popular as a tool. However, it turns out that few people wanted to jump aboard the project's first hardware releases.

The 57th release of the open-source, security-focused OpenBSD operating system is now available and carries the 7.6 version label. Its highlights include support for the Milk-V Pioneer board and Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite processor, multiple tweaks and fixes, improved video acceleration support, and more.

Linux gaming aficionados will be pleased to note that Valve has entered a collaboration effort with Arch Linux - the foundation for the Steam Deck's SteamOS 3.0 operating system, providing financial backing for two crucial projects that are underway.

Lately, government agencies have been cracking down on privacy-oriented messaging services, leaving many with a sense of uncertainty surrounding their online privacy. Fortunately, SimpleX Chat has taken to solving this issue, and in his latest video, Mental Outlaw explores the unique privacy features that set SimpleX Chat apart.

Less than four months after the arrival of version 24.0 "Wynsdey," Manjaro Linux 24.1 is ready to be unleashed. Dubbed "Xahea," the arrival of the updated is imminent, as today's stable refresh removes the kernel with version 6.9 alongside many other changes. The new ISOs are expected to come out soon.

Based on Manjaro and inspired by CrunchBang and taking advantage of a few BunsenLabs utilities, Mabox Linux comes with a lightweight, ready-to-use software environment that works great on old, slow computers. Using Openbox, tint2, and Jgmenu, it has just been updated to version 24.09.

A fully functional file manager, density options, new UI scaling and density options, and focus follows cursor! System76 has addressed a ton of complaints and small bugs related to its new Rust-based Cosmic desktop environment and added a host of customisation and configuration options to the desktop. Cosmic apps also got some much-needed attention, bringing the user experience almost on-par with the likes of GNOME.

Certified as compliant with the IP66 and MIL-STD-810H standards, the 11.6-inch Darveen RTC-I116 rugged tablet has a dual hot-swappable battery design, a rich set of connectivity options, and employs 12th-generation Intel Core i5 and i7 processors. On request, it can ship with either Windows 10/11 or Linux.

Ghostrunner 2 launched in 2023 as a follow-up to the massively successful Ghostrunner, adding vehicles, new combat mechanics, and new game modes to the fast-paced first-person perspective slasher. Humble Bundle has discounted Ghostrunner 2 Deluxe Edition to just $14.99 for a limited time.

Although the source code became public yesterday, it's far from having been released as open source. However, while the Winamp Collaborative License (WCL) Version 1.0 forbids distribution of modified versions, a few forks are already online. Since WCL contradicts GitHub's ToS, the future looks interesting for Winamp and its forbidden versions.

Anbernic has now refreshed the RG35XX SP, which is seemingly proving one of its most popular releases of the year. Available to purchase now, the updated RG35XX SP offering represents the second release of the month for Anbernic after the launch of the RG406V last week.

With a short history that started in 2023, Liya Linux is a one-man effort based on Arch with reduced system requirements alongside modern looks and improved security. Released yesterday, version 2.1 comes with the 6.11.0-1 kernel, also updating various packages such as openssh, openssl, perl, samba, wayland, and many others.

With a history of over a decade, KaOS is a niche distro that has just received an update. Version 2024.09 was released yesterday, and its highlights include Calligra, which replaces LibreOffice as the default office suite, as well as an updated VirtualBox package.

On the way for the public release of Ubuntu 24.10 "Oracular Oriole," which is scheduled for October 10th, the Ubuntu team unveiled a new beta for the desktop, server, and cloud products. Ubuntu 24.10 beta allows users to test GNOME 47, including a new version of the Nautilus file manager, and much more.

Powkiddy has expanded the RGB20 series with a new option. Previously restricted to the RGB20S and RGB20SX, the series now also consists of the RGB20 Pro that features a comparatively large battery, a high-resolution display and a more powerful chipset than its series stablemates.

Valve seems to be testing ARM64 and Android support on Steam, as per a new SteamDB leak. Popular titles like Left 4 Dead 2 and Garry's Mod are being tested with "proton-arm64" tags, among others. This could hint towards new future Valve hardware running on ARM64 architecture.

Zorin OS and Zorin OS Pro have both been updated to version 17.2, which brings with it the latest Linux Kernel. Touted as one of the easiest Linux distros to theme, the update brings even more customization options as well as improved performance and security.

Valve spent a long time telling gamers that GTA V is one of the top games for the Steam Deck, with Steam going so far as to add the game to the Steam Deck Verified list. After Rockstar added BattleEye anti-cheat, breaking Linux compatibility, Valve has not only removed the Verified title, it is also issuing refunds to gamers who purchased GTA V for their Steam Decks.

A whole nine years after launch, Rockstar Games seems to want to crack down on cheaters in GTA V, announcing that it has implemented BattleEye kernel anti-cheat for online play. GTA Online is no longer compatible with Linux or the Steam Deck, locking Linux gamers to single-player mode exclusively. This is despite multiple BattleEye games verified to run on Steam Deck via Proton.

One month before the stable release, Fedora Linux 41 beta arrives with a preview of what's about to come. Some of these changes are Python 2's removal, Valkey replacing Redis, the ability to install the proprietary Nvidia video driver with Secure Boot, DNF5 alongside bootc in Fedora IoT and the Atomic desktop versions, and more.

The latest maintenance release for the 13.x series brings FreeBSD up to version number 13.4 and, sadly, doesn't include any major changes. However, today's update comes with multiple bug fixes, driver updates, as well as more than a few updated versions of apps maintained by third parties.

The RGB10X is a new gaming handheld designed to emulate classic retro games. Available now worldwide for $39.99, the device can be configured in Black Transparent, Grey and Yellow finishes.

Based on Arch Linux but also packing a few proprietary pieces of code, such as the Swirl web browser, SDesk received a new update yesterday. Alongside the new drivers, which focus on supporting touch interfaces, this software refresh comes with a move from the Calamares installer to the GNOME first-run wizard.

Available since late March 2014, Debian-based MX Linux has just reached version 23.4. Based on Debian 12.7, the update packs a generous list of fixes, application updates, tweaks, kernel updates, as well as updated language packs. The Xfce, KDE, and Fluxbox ISOs come with the 6.1.106 kernel, while AHS sports the 6.10.10 kernel.

Z-Pocket Game has revealed new details about one of its forthcoming gaming handhelds. While the ZPG Bubble has been in development for a while, the company has now revealed what appear to be eight launch colour options.

Microsoft has officially announced its intent to move security measures out of the kernel, following the Crowdstrike disaster a few short months ago. The removal of kernel access for security solutions would likely revolutionise running Windows games on the Steam Deck and other Linux systems.

Initially supposed to arrive two weeks ago, Ubuntu 22.04.5 was delayed until yesterday. This point-release for the 22.04 LTS branch comes with multiple updates and fixes, as usual. The list of updated components includes Ruby 3.0, PHP 8.1.2, BIND 9.18.1, Apache 2.4.52, PostgreSQL 14.2, MySQL 8.0.28, and more.